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How to Properly Dispose of Medical Waste at Home

1/3/2022

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According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, medical waste is a type of waste produced by health care facilities. Meanwhile, household medical waste is a category of medical waste that can be produced at home.

Malsparo categorized Household Medical Waste into Sharps, Cloth Items, Medicines, and Radioactive waste. These require different disposal methods and can be harmful to the household if not disposed of properly.

Proper Way of Disposing of Medical Waste at Home

Biomedical Waste Services have stated that medical wastes should not be taken lightly because improperly disposing of them can further spread diseases.
With that said, the first step in medical waste disposal is identification. For example, sharp disposable items like needles and needle pens should go into a “sharps container” after their use.

These hard and thick materials should also be kept away from children. If a person in your household uses these items for their medication, investing in a “sharps container” can be helpful.

Of course, you can also create your own sharps container using detergent bottles. However, make sure you don’t use cartons or thinner plastic as your main material as these can be easily punctured by the needles.

Aside from that, cloth items such as gauze and gloves should be put in plastic bags, especially those with bloodstains. You also need to make sure that these bags are properly sealed.
Lastly, prescription medicines can be thrown directly into the trash. Disposing of them in the sewage system or waterworks is not recommended as it may contaminate the water.

Conclusion

The proper disposal of household medical waste is crucial and should be taken seriously. After all, when household medical waste is not disposed of properly, these wastes may pose additional risks to your household.